Transfer in BRU Airport

[mrblack]

I wanted to clarify our travel plans and seek some advice regarding our upcoming connection at Brussels Airport (BRU). We are set to arrive from Singapore (SIN) at 7:20 AM on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and will then need to transfer to a Brussels Airlines flight to London Heathrow (LHR), which departs at 9:50 AM. Since our flights are ticketed separately, we’ll need to collect our bags upon arrival and then check them in again for our onward flight.

My main question is whether there is an express option available for transferring luggage in this situation. Would it be possible to expedite this process, or will we need to go through the standard procedures?

Additionally, I’ve heard that The Loft in BRU offers shower facilities. Given our timeline, do you think we’ll have enough time to complete the baggage recheck and get a quick shower before our next flight?

If it makes any difference, I am Star Alliance Gold.

 

[AIRwin]

When checking in at your origin, try asking SIA if they can check your luggage through to LHR

 

[dajop]

There’s a very good chance that not only will SQ be able to through check your luggage if you ask, but also issue your Brussels Airlines boarding pass. They did for me on separate tickets a couple of years ago going through FRA and on to BRU on SN.

If not, you will get priority access through security as a star gold which should help speed things up. But not through immigration, which may or may not have improved recently but since Brexit can lead to long waits when there’s a bank of British flights departing due to British now using the “others” lane along with non-Europeans. My experience though has been evening with lots of pax connecting from the SN network to the UK. If you have EU passport then it should all be very quick.

Lastly, if they do transfer your luggage, and issue BP you will have to go through immigration and back to access the Loft as it’s in the Schengen zone - shower suites there are pretty good though. 2.5 hrs should be enough - just leave about 60-75 mins before departure to go through immigration. When I went they weren’t giving access to the Diamond Lounge in the non-Schengen area unless you held the right Miles and More status via Brussels Airlines, certainly not vanilla star gold . But it might have changed , as it was a little while ago when I used SN, last time I flew out was on BA so didn’t have to worry about this.

 

[mrblack]

There’s a very good chance that not only will SQ be able to through check your luggage if you ask, but also issue your Brussels Airlines boarding pass.

I actually thought this was pretty standard thing to issue the boarding pass at origin if all ongoing flights are on SA.

The entire route is MEL > SIN > BRU > LHR all on SIA and then Brussels airlines for the BRU > LHR

When I asked SIA customer service they said that the bags would need to be picked up and rechecked in BRU.

 

[dajop]

When I asked SIA customer service they said that the bags would need to be picked up and rechecked in BRU.

Golden rule of any airline is that phone based customer service is at best proficient at handling bookings (which some exceptions for some call centres at some airlines) but really don’t have any idea what goes on at airports.

As recently as two weeks ago I checked through my bags in separate tickets from SQ to LH through FRA (ex-SIN).

Your challenge may be at MEL finding someone to do this - at MEL self check in is the default - at least for economy pax.

 

[mrblack]

Your challenge may be at MEL finding someone to do this - at MEL self check in is the default - at least for economy pax.

Ah right, fair point. We are traveling Business apart from the BRU > LHR which is in Economy.

 

[SYD]

As above, a checkin person in MEL ought to be able to check you thru.

I was flying back from coughet last year - SQ whY (VA award) to SIN and then a seperate QF J flight to SYD. SQ staff happily checked thru bags, even issued QF BPs. So straight off to the QF F lounge in SIN when we got there.